Recently, liquid crystal display devices have rapidly become popular because they consume less electric power and are more easily downsized than CRTs (Cathode-Ray-Tubes). Among the liquid crystal display devices, active matrix liquid crystal display devices, which respond at high speed and easily carry out multi-gradation display, have been in widespread use.
An active matrix liquid crystal display device includes (i) an active matrix substrate in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix manner, (ii) a counter substrate provided so as to face the active matrix substrate and (iii) a liquid crystal layer which is a display medium and sandwiched between the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate. In the active matrix substrate, a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of signal lines are provided so as to intersect with each other, and pixel sections each including a thin film transistor (TFT) are provided in the vicinity of respective parts in which the plurality of scanning lines intersect with the plurality of signal lines.
Patent Literature 1 describes an array substrate for use in a liquid crystal display device, which array substrate includes (i) a first ohmic contact layer and a second ohmic contact layer which are provided on an active layer so as to separate from each other by a first distance, (ii) a first barrier pattern and a second barrier pattern which are provided on the first ohmic contact layer and the second ohmic contact layer, respectively, so as to separate from each other by the first distance so that the active layer is exposed between the first barrier pattern and the second barrier pattern and (iii) a source electrode and a drain electrode which are provided on the first barrier pattern and the second barrier pattern, respectively, so as to separate from each other by a second distance that is larger than the first distance, the source electrode being connected to a corresponding data line.